Polymer manufacturer also backs Future is Clean initiative Covestro, a leading supplier of innovative high-tech polymer materials, today announced that it is extending its sponsorship with Solar Impulse, as it prepares to complete its journey round the world in 2016. Covestro, formerly Bayer MaterialScience, has been a Solar Impulse project partner since 2010 and also its official technical partner. It was responsible for the design and construction of the Si2 cockpit that uses the most...

Kaplan, creator of the test prep industry and its leading player, has acquired CleanEdison, a leading vocational school as a service platform specializing in the clean energy industry. The new unit, rebranded as Kaplan Clean Technology Education, offers job skills training and certification programs focused on energy efficiency, sustainable building, the solar thermal and photovoltaic sectors, and other clean energy related issues. Founded in February 2009, CleanEdison pioneered the...

In this open letter to all COP21 participants, REC, the largest European brand of solar panels, outlines how clean, viable and cost competitive solar energy is today, and what policy action is needed from governments to maintain the momentum of solar for a safe climate: The power sector is the biggest single contributor to global energy related CO2 emissions, accounting for a massive 40% worldwide.1 It therefore makes sense to focus greater effort on clean energy if – as a...

French President Francois Hollande and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an international solar alliance today that is aimed at bringing clean and affordable solar energy to everyone. The launch coincides with the COP21 talks taking place in Paris 30 November to 11 December. In 2015 COP21, also known as the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, will, for the first time in over 20 years of UN negotiations, aim to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate,...

The city of Las Vegas and NV Energy announced a partnership that has potential to take the city to a new level of environmental sustainability by becoming a leader in renewable energy. Upon approval of a filing to the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada and ratification by the Las Vegas City Council, this partnership will dedicate to city operations a portion of energy produced by a local solar facility that is currently in development. The energy dedicated from this solar facility, coupled...

Small solar collectors are simple devices that focus the sun’s heat into a concentrated area, often generating enough heat for cooking. Today use of solar cookers is proliferating in undeveloped parts of the world because they provide a safe and clean alternative to fuel sources such as wood and kerosene. Solar cookers, however, are far from a recent invention. The earliest solar cookers were developed in the 1700s, when the use of clear glass for covering window openings proliferated...

REC, a leading global provider of solar energy solutions, partnered with Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Singapore that will see the home-grown Tiger Beer brewery make the leap toward solar energy. In a pioneering Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), REC will provide clean energy for APB Singapore’s facilities. This agreement will see REC’s award-winning, high performance TwinPeak panels mounted across three rooftops at APB Singapore, making it the largest rooftop solar installation for...

Every household in Germany can join the sonnenCommunity, a community that connects all energy producers and consumers, allowing them to supply one another with renewable energy and making a traditional power company unnecessary. "With the sonnenCommunity, we offer all households that want to determine their own energy future access to affordable, clean electricity for the first time," says Christoph Ostermann, CEO of Sonnenbatterie. sonnenCommunity consists primarily of homeowners...

The Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) has won the Smart Grid Interoperability Standards Cooperative Agreement Program federal funding opportunity from the United States Department of Commerce’s (DoC) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The Smart Grid Interoperability Standards Cooperative Agreement Program is designed with substantial NIST participation to support continuous innovation of the electrical grid through the coordination and acceleration of standards...

SolarCity Corporation today announced that it has promoted Chief Operations Officer (COO) Tanguy Serrato the new role of President, reporting to CEO Lyndon Rive. The company also announced that CFO Brad Buss plans to retire in 2016. Buss will remain as CFO through the completion of SolarCity's financial reporting for the fiscal year 2015—expected in early February—and will remain in an advisory role until later in 2016 to ensure a smooth transition. Mr....

The game-changer for clean energy (also known as Tesla – Elon Musk’s Company) is making waves in the industry of solar energy ever since they decided to make it their business. In true Elon Musk fashion, he decided to get Tesla involved in the niche of solar energy in 2016 when he let the world...

Hawaii is famously reliant on imported fossil fuels, for both electricity and transportation. But that’s changing rapidly as the state invests heavily in renewables. Two new bills are now pending in the Hawaii legislature that would codify the 100 percent renewables goal statewide, up from the current mandate of 40 percent by 2030. HB 623 would require...

In the ongoing wars over solar energy, one power company is consistently painted as the archetypal, mustache-twirling nemesis of clean electricity: Arizona Public Service. So you might be surprised to learn that this same company is about to become a big new producer of rooftop solar power. APS is an unlikely solar patron: In the...

So far, specific details are thin on the new battery designed for home use that Tesla’s announcing next week. But just based on what we do know, it’s a pretty big deal. The quest for a good battery that can store home-generated power is kind of like the holy grail for a renewable energy future. This...